As a believer, your will be tested. Because of your relationship with God, he is pleased. At same time, you don’t just receive heavenly attention. You receive demoniac attention too. Your presence is a threat to the devil. Everywhere you go, you bring goodness and love. This was the problem with Job. People saw God was resident in his life. Job had a reputation for doing what God asked him to do. Why was Job faithful? The enemy began to question Job’s faithfulness too.

Job 1:6 says 6Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.-What is most interesting is that people often speculate over who the sons of God were. One group says they were products of fallen angels and many other scholars say they were son’s of Seth (Genesis 6:4 says 4There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.). Regardless, God was fed up with mankind and they say God was fed up with this intermingling of the angels.

In the next scripture, we see that Job was minding his own business and a cosmic discussion was taking place over Job’s head about himself. InJob 1:7-8: 7And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. 8And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? – “Have you considered Job?” said God. Later scripture says that Satan replied that he had been watching Job and says every plot he used had been blocked by the hedge God had around him. Notice that even the devil knows there is hedge around your life. The devil says if God would remove the hedge from around Job, he would curse God to his face. The main thing we need to notice from this scripture is that God literally offers Job as a sacrifice. What will happen if God moves the hedge from around you? Some of you right now are involved in this same situation. You serve God and you say you trust him, but can you still serve him and trust him with your hedge removed?

I. Is your relationship legitimate?

If God pulled the rug out from under you, would you still trust him? This thing is real.

Question: Is your relationship legitimate? What you do publically, do you do privately? Job 1:1-5 says 1There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil. 2And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters. 3His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east. 4And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. 5And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually. – This scripture tells how loyal Job was. Everyone knew about Job, but the enemy wanted to test his legitimacy. Your legitimacy has nothing to do with your public actions. It has to do with your private actions. In private, can you withstand a major life change? Can you stand in the midst of it? Can you take more than an average person? You have been working with God too long not to be able to stand. No matter the circumstances, you will trust God.

What we recognize.

You are not exempt from suffering. Many will try to convince you that the storm that you encounter has something to do with something you done. We must know that you don’t have to be doing anything wrong for trouble to find us. Just like when Paul was on that ship, a storm just came. This incident reminds us that in this life, we will have trouble.

You must remain spiritual. We have to do what we are called to do. Realize that our weapons are not carnal.

Know that you are a survivor. To be a survivor means we can outlive what is trying to outlive us. We have to know who we are. We have to recognize we are here no matter what we have been through, because we are survivors.

We mustremain steadfast. This means that we will be faithful even when the bottom falls out. Is your faith legitimate?

II. Can God put his reputation on the line (with you)?

If God’s reputation was based on how you respond in your crisis, what would be the end result? We have got to be willing to expect and respect the will of God. God might not do what we want him to do.

We must:

Acknowledge his sovereignty – God offered up Job up to Satan without asking his permission. God will never ask you for your permissions to be tested, because he knows that we would say no. He knows we would say things like, “Why me? I got a neighbor down the street that doesn’t even go to church!”

Know that God is a good shepherd. God knew Job’s potential, before he knew it himself. If you are in valley of shadow of death, God will be there with you.

Understand his security.Job 1:12: 12And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon him put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD. – God says that Satan could not touch Job’s body. God rations out the trial. On the surface, it will appear that the devil is in charge. When this goes down, the devil will think he is in charge. The devil couldn’t go after Job without permission from God. If Satan had to have permission, then his territory must be limited. Ex- Bishop tells of a story of there being a vicious dog next to his home when he first started preaching. He states that they didn’t have a fence and when he came in from preaching, the dog would run him. He said one time he could not even run. All he could do is just stand there and pray and when he looked up, the dog was just standing there barking at him. He began to flex a little; because he thought the dog stopping had something to do with what he had done. Bishop found out later that the neighbor had an invisible electric fence. The dog stopping didn’t have anything to do with Bishop. It was because of the fence the dog stopped. In like manner, it is not because of you that you were not destroyed. It is because God has a fence around you. God allowed this to happen so you can be a witness. Job was the poster child for hanging tough.

Know how to handle loss? People that don’t come to church don’t know how to be like Job is. If you lost everything, would you lose your mind? Realize like Job, this thing is bigger than us. We have to recognize God put his reputation on the line so others will know this is how to handle a storm. You got to make up in your mind that no matter what we go through, our one assignment is to make God look good. If God allows us to look good after all we went through, then we should be glad to make God look good.

Is this real? Do you serve God only because he hooked you up? Can God say about you, “This is the person who is going to represent me?”

III. How do you handle loss?

It is one thing to never have it. You can’t miss what you never had. Some people did not know a recession ever happened. They have been in a recession all their life. When you had, and then you lose, that is a whole other mindset. (When you get a chance read Job 1:13-19). In the Old Testament days, agriculture was commerce. This was revenue. It was equivalent to our stocks, bonds, and savings accounts. Job had several sheep, land, and livestock. He was the Bill Gates of the day. When the news comes of Job losing everything, it is like somebody coming today and saying a person’s investments has fallen. Job lost his houses and every one of his children. Watch how Job teaches us to handle this. Job 1:20: 20Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, – Job got up and said something has got to happen! Job arose, and rent his mantle!

Job 1:21: 21And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. -Job says it is alright to be angry. God gives us permission to cry and be angry. No matter how anointed you are, you will be angry, but you have to put a term limit on your tears. You got to cry and move from it. You have to come to a place where weeping endures for a night, but joy comes in the morning. Job says he is angry, but he is not going to stay there. He moves to worship. Worship is not what God does for us, but who God is to us. Though we might get bad report, he is still JEHOVAH-ROHI: We will raise our hands and say we will still give him glory for who he is. Revelations comes through worship. When you worship, you get a revelation. While Job is worshiping, he gets a revelation. Look at verse 21 again. God had a right to give it to him and has the right to take it away. You want to give God to glory when he gives you the house, but can you give him the glory when he takes it away. Job says naked he came into the world and naked he will come out. Job recognizes the word of God and knows that every question the enemy raises the word can answer.

Our revelation is found when we worship God in our pain. When we get the word, it will answer every question the enemy can ask. Ex – When you get a bad report from the doctors? By his stripes we are healed. When we get laid off, we will tithe ourselves back on top. No good thing will he withhold form them that walk upright. When people leave us, he will take us up. When we have enemies, the word says fret not ourselves of evil doers. Worship though your pain and get the revelation that will answer all of your enemy’s questions.

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About growintheword

I consider myself a Christian with an envangelistic calling. I like music, art, and computers. I belive that God gives us our gifts so that they may be used for his glory. It is my desire that everyone in the world comes to know God and have a personal relationship with him by means of music, evangelistic ministry, and by understanding the word of God.